Ahmedabad: 2 Bhavnagar cousins, friend among victims

AHMEDABAD: Three women - two cousin sisters and their friend - were among the seven victims of the crash. Kruti Barad, her first cousin Urvi Barad and friend Purva Ramanuj from Sihore town had started their spiritual sojourn from Ahmedabad on October 15. It was Kruti's birthday and she had even made a video call to her family to take blessings of Kedarnath.
What started as one of the best days of their lives turned into one of the most tragic for the Barads on Tuesday. Kamlesh Barad's daughter, Kruti, had turned 30. And she was celebrating the milestone by visiting Kedarnath with her cousin, Urvi, and her friend, Purva Ramanuj. A video call to wish her ended with a virtual darshan of the pilgrim site, and their joy knew no bounds.
However, a couple of hours later, their world crashed when the Barads discovered that Kruti, Urvi, 25, and Purva, 28, were killed in a helicopter accident.
Kruti's father works with PGVCL, while her mother, Parlina, is a nurse with the state-run Sir T Hospital in Bhavnagar. "Kruti, an only child, had gone to Paris to study MBA two years ago but returned due to the Covid-19 pandemic," one of the relatives said. She then worked as an English teacher at a local school. "The three women had started their journey by train from Ahmedabad on October 15. On Tuesday, when Kamlesh called her, Kruti pulled her father's leg, asking him why he had not been the first to wish her," the relative added.
Urvi's father, Jayesh Barad, who was working withPGVCL had died in a road accident two years ago. Urvi, a techie working with a leading IT company in Ahmedabad, was the sole breadwinner of her family, comprising two sisters, a brother, and a mother.
"Her mother, Beena, began selling readymade women's garments from home after Jayesh's death. However, Urvi took care of most of the household expenses. She got engaged just two months ago," said her brother Vatsal, who had recently cleared the Class 10. Urvi was fond of trekking and visited Kedarnath earlier too.
"Around 9am on Tuesday, she had called up her fiance Hardik to say they were returning from Kedarnath," he said. In her Instagram post, which turned out to be her last, she posted a photo with Kruti wishing her a happy birthday.